


unpleasant introductions

by homosexualhitoka



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: (Ish) - Freeform, (they're drugged it's not like violent), Also hinata, Blood, Dark! Everyone, Descriptions of gore, Drugging, Drugs, Eventual Romance, Eventual violence, False Memories, Horror, Implied Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mind Control, More tags to be added, Nightmares, Parties, Rating will change, all of them - Freeform, and Yachi, anyway, gory thoughts, mentions of non con, mentions of sex then, mentions of vomiting, not slow burn tbh, so does Kageyama please help me babies, yamaguchi needs help
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2018-11-30 12:59:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11464104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homosexualhitoka/pseuds/homosexualhitoka
Summary: Tsukishima Akiteru is missing. Tsukishima Kei is determined to find him. He is lead to a town called "Karasuno", though it's residents seem to be...too friendly.





	1. a brief introduction

**Author's Note:**

> this chapter is kind of tame, there's references to a nosebleed and getting sick.

Do you ever just stop and think about what you're doing?

Because, yeah, that's exactly what Tsukishima Kei is doing right about now.

Loud, annoying pop music blared from the speakers of his car as his fingers restlessly drummed along to the beat. He had been in his small, cramped car for a few hours now, regretting most of his life decisions. There was nothing in sight for miles, no civilization, no buildings….just nothingness. A void of noise and people and places.

This was shocking to Kei, as he had grown up in Tokyo, where it was almost never quiet. Kei hated noise and was displeased with most of humanity and civilization, so he should have been grateful for the peace and quiet, but instead he just found it….unsettling.

You only appreciate something once it's gone right? That feels like Kei’s entire life right now. That was why he was in a small car, packed with his possessions, driving to a town he had never heard of.

You see, Kei’s family has had a big problem. Tsukishima Akiteru, Kei's older brother, was missing. He had been for a little while. The police hadn't really found any leads. So Kei had made a dumb decision. One that he would yell and scoff at his friends did making. He had decided to take matters into his own hands. Which is what got him here, really.

He had been sitting in the empty room that used to be occupied by his brother. The only things that even showed that it was once inhabited were the desk and the bed. The bed was bare and the desk was empty. There was an empty trash can in the corner.

His brother’s disappearance had hit him hard, as they had lived together previous to it. They split the rent of a small, two bedroom apartment in the thick of the city. Akiteru’s silent bedroom haunted Kei. They had never been too close, due to huge differences in personality, but the two were still brothers. Kei wishes they had been closer. Akiteru was like a miniature sunshine in the normally dark world of Kei’s. Now that he was gone, he felt like he had lost the sun. Until one day.

He was sitting in the bedroom mentioned before, staring at the ceiling. He was laying on the bare mattress, when he noticed something strange tucked neatly under a drawer of Akiteru’s desk.

There was a slightly crumpled slip of paper when he pulled out the drawer. It was hidden from prying eyes, Kei assumed. Why? What did his brother have to hide? He slowly stood up, walking over to it, as if in a trance. He kneeled next to the desk, staring at the piece for a good few minutes, numb. He picked it up gingerly, like it could explode at any second. He unfurled the ends of the paper with his long, delicate fingers. His eyes scanned over the page, curious to what was on it.

It was...an article? No, more like...a biography. A description. Was that the correct word? Kei wasn't sure. A paragraph, with a picture of a house on top of the text. Below, was a picture of a park and a shopping center. The title was “KARASUNO” in big, bold letters. It was a town, apparently. Hours away from where Kei lived now. Hell, he deserved a vacation, right? Especially with how he'd still be looking for his brother. He could afford to take a short trip.

So he rented a place, cheap, for a month. He probably wouldn't stay the whole time but he didn't write that down on the website, of course. His friends were immediately against the idea when he quit his job. They said it was frivolous of him, dangerous, even.

“Dude. “ his friend, a man called Kuroo, who also happened to be his boss, said to him over the phone. “I'm all for vacations, but quitting and leaving for a month isn't really a vacation. You're going to look for your brother in a town you've never even been to. Not only that, you're going alone. This won't end well. “

“Don't think too hard, you'll hurt yourself. “ Kei sneered back, a bit pissed that his friend wasn't supportive. “There's nothing you can do to change my mind. I'm leaving in two days. I'll keep in touch. “

“Okay, Glasses-kun, but when you get back empty handed, I'm going to say I told you so. And you're coming back to work. Deal?”

“Deal.” Kei said and hung up, his chest feeling warm at the feeling of being cared about by his friend. He was also upset at the fact that Kuroo thought he'd be unsuccessful, he'd show him. He'd find him. He had to. Even if it was just a lead, just a little information, he'd take it. It would be something. It would be something that would lead to another something.

Kei knew one thing. Even if Akiteru wasn't there, he would find him. He would bring him home. He would never stop until he did.

 

* * *

 

It was late in the afternoon when Kei arrived to Karasuno. It was just as beautiful as it looked in pictures, which was odd. He didn't think grass could be that green at this time of year. Green grass, green trees, bright colored flowers….beautiful. The houses were all small, neat, and the same. White picket fence western types that looked like they'd be in a cartoon. There was a little town square, with a doctor's office and a mall. It was definitely odd.

Kei had never experienced something like this, so of course it was different to him. Would he be an outsider? Or would he blend in seamlessly to the society? He pushed those thoughts away and ignored the sinking feeling in his stomach. It was just hunger. How that he mentioned it, it had been a while since he'd eaten anything other than an apple or something small. He'd eat soon. He wasn't sure if he believed himself, but it was a start.

He finally arrived at the house. It was the same as all of the other ones, same windows, same driveway, same fence and garden area. Same perfect little square house. Something about it made the hairs on the back of Kei's neck stand up. It was creepy. He parks his car in the driveway and goes to the door, punching in the code he got from the website after he rented the house. He entered the house, taking deep breaths. He felt panic race through his veins. He pushed it away and regulated his breathing before locking the door. He's safe.

He slipped off his shoes and looks around at the main room of the house. It was small as it was on the outside, with a kitchen and the living room in the same space. Just a table separating the two. The living room is fit with a small table, a couch, and an old TV. it's nice. The kitchen is small as well, with all the regular appliances and marble counters. There's a coffee machine next to the microwave. Kei thanked god for that. He didn't know how he would survive without it.

Kei walked farther into the house, socks padding against the hardwood floor. He flipped the lights on, thoroughly disturbed by the dark, quiet house. He was alone, he had nothing to fear. Yet, the emotion was so strong that it took Kei aback. He felt his heart rate quickening, but he's fine. At least, he tells himself that.

The rest of the house is just as small and clean as the main room. The hall led to a bathroom, small but with a shower and a bathtub. _Thank_ _God_. He flipped on the lights as he went. He went farther down until he reached the bedroom. There was a twin bed, probably too short for him, with soft looking, dark blankets. There was a nightstand with a lamp on top. There was a closet with a mirror next to it, full length. The thing that stood out to him wasn't any of those, though.

It was a painting in the middle of an otherwise blank wall. It was huge, maybe seventy centimeters square. It had a blood red background, painted sloppily. Kei shivered. There was a black symbol in the middle of it. Kei couldn't describe it, other than an odd star on its side without the top point. And a line. It was also painted sloppily, with the paint going globby and thick in places. It made Kei’s skin crawl.

He took a deep breath in. _123_. Out. _123_. He walked out and carried his bags into the room, setting knick knacks on shelves and stuffing his clothes in his closet. Before long, he found his eyes drawn to the painting again. He shrugged tensely and tucked a quilt, made by his grandmother, over it. That was better. Crisis averted.

An hour later, Kei was sitting on the couch, sipping from a mug of bitter coffee and watching a cartoon on the television. This wasn't too bad, it was pretty cozy, actually. He felt sleepy, but the coffee would help. Kei took another deep gulp of the drink, but he gagged. He tasted something….metallic. His eyes widened and he peered into his coffee, taking a sharp intake of breath when he saw dark red mixed in with the deep brown. Kei sat down the mug with shaking hands before pressing his trembling fingers to his face, feeling wet and warm liquid under his nose. Kei pulled them away and hurried to a bathroom, stuffing a tissue up his nostrils before washing his hands. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stop it.

How did he not notice a nose bleed? That was weird. Really weird. Maybe he was just tired. Yeah. That was it. Everything was fine. _Calm_ _down_.

He threw up the contents of his stomach into the toilet before flushing it and leaving the bathroom. There goes his appetite. Was it late enough to sleep? Sleep would fix everything. Seeing the sun through the curtains, it was probably too early to sleep. Damn.

He went to wash his mug out before the doorbell rang. Kei nearly jumped out of his skin. Calm down. He repeated to himself. He checked out of the peephole, seeing a figure holding a box standing outside. He checked the mirror to make sure he wasn't covered in blood anymore and opened it.

A man, shorter than him, stood on his doorstep. He was dressed in comfortable, yet stylish, clothing, and holding a white box.

“Hello?” Kei asked defensively. The man smiled and Kei had to take a second to breathe. The man was beautiful. Angelic, even. He had seen some attractive men and women, and this man was up there. He might have rivaled Kei’s coworker, Akaashi. He had soft looking gray hair and a mole under his eye. He had soft cheeks and a cute smile.

Except something…was off about him. Kei couldn't pin down what it was. He sure did go along with the weird vibe of this town, that was certain. The man smiled wider, which put Kei more on edge.

“Hi! I'm Sugawara Koushi, your next door neighbor. It's nice to see a fresh face in this neighborhood. “

Kei nodded. “Hi. “ he didn't have the energy to tell him that he wasn't moving in, just staying for a little bit.

“I baked you a cake to welcome you. Hopefully this will help you feel better. I'm sure you'll fit right into our little community, Tsukishima-San. “

Kei's heart stopped. How did Sugawara know he wasn't feeling well, _good god, how did he know his name?!_

“Thank you, Sugawara-San. “ he said weakly.

“Please, call me Suga! And it's no problem. We like everyone to feel like they belong here. “ he said kindly. Kei just nodded. He felt sick again.

“I'll eat this. Thank you again. “ he said and shut the door. He didn't see how Sugawara’s grin widened even more when he shut the door.

 

* * *

 

Kei sat down at his kitchen table with a fork and opened the box carefully. Inside, there was a strawberry shortcake, delicately frosted and artfully decorated with little puffs of frosting and strawberries. How did Suga know that this was his favorite cake?

_Calm down. It's just a coincidence. Nothing more. He just made a cake that….happened to be my favorite._

He carved out a bite with his fork before shoving it into his mouth. It was….delicious. Kei didn't know it was possible for someone to make a cake this good. He took another bite. And another. And another. Until he simply couldn't stomach anymore. He then closed the box and stored it in the empty refrigerator.

He returned to his bedroom after tidying up the living room and kitchen, plugging in his phone and his laptop, feeling the distinct emotion of someone is watching me. He took a deep breath. He opened a document on his laptop and titled it “archive. “ this would be how he documented his day.

He typed for about half an hour before yawning and stretching his long arms towards the ceiling. He picked up his phone and typed a quick “turning in. got here safely. good night. “ to Kuroo. He set it down and snuggled into his covers, drifting into an uneasy sleep.


	2. a friendly introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei meets his coworkers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there is some blood at the beginning! If you're uncomfy with that please skip ahead a few paragraphs!! it should end with "Kei shot up in bed" or something along those lines!!

Kei’s dreams that night are filled with red, stars that rested on their sides with no heads, and his brother. He doesn't wonder why he's tired the next day.

It took place in the house he was in. It must have been at night. He's sitting on the couch. The television is on, but it's not a show Kei has ever seen. Akiteru is sat next to him, wearing the same sweatshirt he always did and sitting the same way he always had. Delicately, with his fingers interlaced and wrists twisted, resting on his knees. Posture as stiff as ever. Unless he was drinking. He's not looking at Akiteru, but he knows this somehow. He's watching the tv. The show is taking place in a kitchen, on the floor. The house looks horrifyingly similar. Must be that all of them look the same. There's a boy sitting on the floor, legs spread in a stretch that looked a bit uncomfortable. He couldn't see any of his features. There's a plate on the floor, resting between his spread legs. There is a slice of strawberry shortcake on the plate. Kei is suddenly hungry, but he can't move.

The boy is eating it, but it seems almost...painful? He's taking slow, small bites, like he was trying to be polite and eat something that tasted awful. He almost seemed to shudder before he swallowed. The slice is big, and it will take a long time to eat with how slowly he is. His hair fell into his face and Kei couldn't see his eyes. The camera moves a small bit, focusing on the boy’s face. He looks like he's crying. Kei is nauseous, but he's petrified. Next to him, Akiteru laughed. Loud and boisterous. The cackle that he had heard his whole life. He can feel laughter bubbling up in his chest. Why? It's not funny.

The boy continued to eat the slice of cake. His shoulders shook with barely held back sobs. Akiteru laughed so hard Kei was certain his ribs must have hurt. The boy doesn't look at the camera, just continued to eat. Kei was more uncomfortable than he had been in his entire life.

What the fuck was happening?

The boy set his fork down and clenched his fists, resting them on the ground in front of him. There's a quick, sharp breath, more like a sob. His tears turned dark and thick and in the dark room they looked black. Kei knew better. He knew they were red. They splattered against the boy’s jeans and his floor and the cake. Kei wanted to stop laughing, it hurt so bad and there are now tears running down his face, but he couldn't. His house is filled to the brim with guffaws and loud, natural laughter. It doesn't sound like the two men anymore.

He turned to his brother, going to ask what was happening, when he noticed that he was crying too. Thick, crimson liquid dripping down his cheeks and absolutely ruining Kei’s couch. He's still laughing. Kei is frozen in sheer horror. He is more scared than he thinks he's ever been.

That's not the only unsettling thing about his brother. His dear, loving brother, is wearing a black button shirt, without wrinkle, and black slacks with dress shoes. He wore a necklace, a chain with a charm hanging down Akiteru’s chest. A star. Missing one point.

He was desperate to ask him. “Where did you get that? What does it mean?” His mouth won't open. Since when does he wear jewelry? Kei’s vision starts to swim. Everything is red-tinged. It's all red and he feels sick. He's going to hurl if this goes on any longer. He rubbed his eyes, pulling his fingers away to see dark liquid. He can't breathe. There's blood everywhere. He stood up, shaking, and walked to his kitchen. He kept getting closer and closer and he could hear movement and the laughter keeps getting louder and-

Kei shot up into a sitting position in bed, hands clenched into fists on his sheets. He's covered in cold sweat. He stumbled to the bathroom and emptied his stomach’s contents, even if it wasn't much. His only explanation is that it must have been a combination of something he ate, stress, and not enough sleep. That had to be it. He washed his face, scrubbing at his eyes and staring into the mirror, terrified that blood will fill them at any moment now. He brushed his teeth and ran a comb through his hair. Now, at least he felt put together.

He retreated to his bedroom to get dressed for his first day of work. He couldn't be late, or sloppy with how he dressed. He had hours to get ready, but showing up early would give a good first impression.

The details of his dream slowly slipped out of his mind as he relaxed on the couch in his living room, with a hot mug of coffee and a bowl of cereal. Eventually he'd have better breakfasts, but he didn't have much. He had brought that for today, and he didn't know where the grocery shop was. He'd ask a coworker or just drive until he found it.

His hands stopped shaking after he gulped down a sip of his beverage, though he didn't notice. He watched the news, boring as it was, while he finished his meal. By 8:30, he was out of the door and in his car.

He drove to the town square, where the address he had been told had been. He had a skype interview with the boss, and had luckily, been hired. He wasn't exactly sure what he'd be doing, but he thought it was something with computers.

He arrived there fifteen minutes early, which he was glad for. He had some time to get situated and figure out what he was doing. He'd be working in a room on the sixth floor in room 611. He hurried through the halls, overall avoiding any interaction that he didn't need. He was here to make money while finding his brother, so he had no need to make friends out of the people he'd be specifically working with.

He opened the door of the room, finding where he'd be working. Luckily, he noticed that it didn't seem he would be working with many people. The room was large, the size of a conference room, but without the usual big table. There were five desks, laid out along the walls, all with computers and uncomfortable looking chairs. One on each corner and one in the middle of the wall across from the door.

Four out of five all had distinct decorations, so they obviously belonged to someone. The one in the far right corner was minimalist, but had a vase with a bright yellow daisy in it, next to a framed picture of a woman. The one to the right of it was a bit more busy, with a stuffed cat, a mug (with a volleyball on it), a sticker of a sun on the computer monitor's corner, and a picture of a young girl, probably a little sister. The one in the far left corner was a mixture of the two, with a small poster from some anime that Kei assumed was for kids, then a mug filled with brightly colored pens. The desk to the left of it was almost empty. There was another sun sticker, and Kei assumed the original sun person stuck it there. Then nothing else. The desk across from the door was empty, so he assumed that was for him.

He crossed the room and sat down at his chair, booting up his computer. He logged in with the information he had been emailed. And then he waited. He had to wait for a coworker to come and tell him what to do. Why didn't he ask? He was so dumb. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long, as after five minutes he heard two voices chattering down the hall.

“And she was so embarrassed, I felt so bad, but it-” a cheerful feminine voice was telling the other voice before the two opened the door and saw him. He turned his chair around to look at them. A very short woman with blonde hair stood there, suddenly freezing up and yelping. A man, a bit shorter than Kei, stood behind her, looking less frozen than her but still surprised, with freckles dotted over his face and dark hair that somehow had a strand standing straight up.

The woman let out a little gasp. “Oh, hello!” She said and walked closer to Kei. “You must be Tsukishima-san! I'm Yachi Hitoka.” She introduced herself nervously. She reached out a hand to shake Kei’s.

“Hello. “ Kei said, voice flat, as he shook her hand. He tried to seem less threatening as possible. He stood to be more at equal with them, before realizing that that seemed to Yachi-san look even more nervous. He moved his gaze to the man behind her.

The man smiled warmly and walked closer to him, standing next to Yachi. “I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi. “ he said, in a voice that was quite pleasant. Deep, but oddly quiet and soft around the edges. “Nice to have you work with us. We've been desperate for new faces. “

Kei smiled as genuinely as he could without seeming overly excited. “Nice to meet you. What exactly do we do here?” He asked, trying to come off as confident so they wouldn't think he was completely and utterly stupid.

Yachi thought for a second, looking down and twisting her hands together. “We send emails and help people with the software we make. People email us questions and we answer. And then we do things to help people here if their things break. “

“Okay. I knew we were doing computer stuff but I wasn't sure what completely. “ Kei said.

The two went to their desks, the shorter went to the one with the daisies and the taller went to the one with the poster. It fit, surprisingly.

The two made chit-chat for a few minutes as their computers turned on, talking about the weather and Yachi’s garden. Suddenly Kei heard the door open, he turned his chair to see that two men came in, almost eerily quiet. One of them, not as short as Yachi but still short, had bright orange hair and wide brown eyes. The other was a little shorter than Yamaguchi, with dark hair flopped into his face and and a calm expression. The orange one did a double take when he saw Kei.

“Uwah!!” He yelped and Kei started. He was loud for coming in so quietly. He blanched. “Sorry! You're new!!” He pointed out, like that was new to Kei. He didn't like him. Automatically.

The man behind him put a hand on his shoulder. “That's Tsukishima-san. “ he said gently. “Introduce yourself. “

“I'm Hinata Shouyou, but I don't mind if you call me Shouyou! That's Kageyama! We’re your coworkers!” He said brightly. Kei was not pleased, to say the least.

“Okay. Hi. “ he said before turning around again.

Sometime around lunch break, he felt a presence next to him. He looked over to see Yamaguchi standing next to him. He raised an eyebrow.

Yamaguchi tilted his head. “Are you feeling okay?” He whispered.

Kei blinked. “Yeah? Why?”

“I don't know, you just seem to be acting strange. You're new in town, are you tired from the move?” The other man asked, concerned.

Kei furrowed his brows. “You just met me. How could I be acting weird? How would you know?”

Yamaguchi bit his lip. “I don't know. I've never met anyone who acted like you so I assumed. Sorry. “ he went back to his desk.

Kei was beyond confused. He thought he acted pretty normally? This hurt his head. Why would Yamaguchi never have met someone who acted like he did? This didn't make sense. 

 

* * *

 

 

Later, Kei was standing in the break room, making a coffee. While he was doing this, a man walked in. He was average height, which meant he was shorter than Kei. He was stocky, though, with a muscular build. He was obviously very strong. He looked older than Kei, with a square jaw and shortly dropped hair. Something about him seemed different. The way he carried himself. The way he felt. He almost radiated power.

The hairs on the back of Kei’s neck rose.

“Ah, you must be Tsukishima-kun. “ he said warmly. The warm tone and genuine smile did not help at all. “I'm Sawamura Daichi. Everyone around here calls me Daichi. You can too. I'm your boss. “ he told him.

“Okay. Hi. Nice to meet you. “ he said blankly, not knowing how to react in this situation.

“How do you like your department, Tsukishima? Is everyone treating you well?” He asked, smile widening. Tsukishima felt like a rabbit staring at a dog. A big, wild dog.

“Um. Yamaguchi said something I found weird. But that's it. “ he wondered why he told him that. He wasn't sure. But it felt like he couldn't lie. Tsukishima felt panic tingle in his fingertips. “They're fine people. “

“Just fine?”

“I-I've only just met them, sir. “

“Okay. Thanks for the report. Thank you for working with us, Tsukishima-kun. I'm certain that you will like it here. You'll be hearing from me soon. “ he said and turned around and left.

Did he only come in here to tell him that? It was strange, but he was beginning to realize that everything around here was strange.

 

* * *

 

Once Kei was back to work for maybe an hour and a half, give or take a few minutes, he felt eyes bore into the back of his head. This was the icing on the cake. He whipped his head around to see who it was. This was too fucking much for a day.

Kageyama, the moody looking one was staring at him. Unashamed. The hairs on Kei’s neck would never lay flat again. He raised his brows, staring back. Kageyama looked away and went back to work.

Fuck, these people were weird. 

 

* * *

 

 

When he was getting into his car, the same thing happened. More staring. More of this guy being really creepy for what felt like no reason.

“What's your problem?!” He demanded, looking behind him at the blue eyed man standing behind him. He felt so terrible physically all of a sudden, with a pounding headache and just so anxious for no reason. He just wanted to sleep.

The man looked at him blankly. “Speak quietly if you're going to speak like that. You don't want them to hear you. “ he said, monotone. Kei shivered. “Who?”

Kageyama held his hand out, something dangling from it. Kei took it. “They will know if you act out. Trust me. They don't know about this. Don't tell them. If you want to be safe, where this. “ Kei looked at the chain he gave him. A necklace, with the charm with the symbol from his wall on it. He closed his fist.

“Thank you, I guess. Can you tell me more about who ‘they’ are?” He asked Kageyama.

“I can't tell you. You'll act weird and they'll know I'm acting out. You'll find out soon enough. “ he said before turning around and striding away quickly.

Kei took a minute to even out his breathing before leaving to go home.

 

* * *

Sawamura Daichi laced his fingers behind his head as he rested his feet on his desk. It was to feel superior, everyone knew, and it made a shiver run down everyone's spine.

Yamaguchi stood in front of him, positively shivering in fear with his shaking fingers twisted together while he sweated, nervous to the point of panic.

“We had a complaint about you, Tadashi. Can you tell me why that is?” Daichi asked, voice calm.

“I don't know why, sir, I thought I had been polite the whole time. “

“Tsukishima-kun said that you said something ‘weird’ to him. You know what the punishment for rudeness is. You know better. “

Yamaguchi tensed, his back straightening and skin recalling pain that he never deserved. Not that he knew that.

“I know, sir, I know! I didn't do anything bad, I promise! He's just so weird!” He babbled, rambling, almost begging to not be punished. “His expression is always so tight and his eyebrows do a thing that I've never seen anyone do and he's always frowning and people never frown here! He says weird things that make me feel something weird and he's so different! I don't know how to interact or deal with him!”

Daichi let out a sigh. “He's new here, Tadashi-kun. He will...behave differently for a while. This is why we have punishments. So people don't behave like outsiders. We don't administer those to newcomers. Only if they are showing willful disobedience when they know how things are done here. Do not do anything rude to him, Tadashi. Do not do anything that will be considered rude to him. Be nicer than you ever have before. You've never had a problem with being polite to new people. Don't start it. “

Yamaguchi nodded quickly, still trembling. “Yes sir!” He blurted out immediately. “Sorry, sir!”

Daichi smiled kindly. “Now get home and relax so you can come in and have a day just as productive as today. “

“Yes, sir!” The taller man squeaked before fleeing.

 

* * *

 

 

When Kei went to sleep that night, he didn't notice that his grandmother’s quilt was gone. In fact, was it even ever there?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you don't remember something being mentioned, Kei shouldn't either. We're getting into some false memories now.  
> Drop a comment and message me on insta! I'm @gayyachi as always


	3. a rude introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei has a bit of an outburst. Trouble ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey heads up this takes place in a universe where being lgbt isn't questioned and marriage is legal so yeah daichi and suga are married and suga introduces himself as sugawara bc of his nickname :) just to clarify

It was dark when Kei woke up. It must have been very early for the sun to not have risen yet. Kei was used to waking up early, but he hardly ever woke up before his alarm. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it. He hadn't had any dreams, so it wasn't that he had been awoken by that. He actually felt very good about the sleep he did get, even if it was a small amount. He felt so rested hat he wasn't sure when the last time he'd slept so well was. He certainly hadn't expected it from where he is in his life now.

He rubbed his eyes and cheeks, wiping away sleep and grogginess. There was no use going back to sleep now, since he had to get up in an hour anyway. He could watch some cartoons on television while he woke up. It was pleasant to have some free time in the morning, just to be able to wake up slowly and decide when to start his day.

He reached over to his nightstand in the darkness, risking knocking over his glass of water that he hadn't finished before sleeping in order to grab his glasses. He wasn't going to acknowledge that he almost dropped them while fumbling for them. They didn't help much when he pushed them up his nose, since he had neglected to turn on the lamp yet.

He yet again almost knocked over his water while trying to twist the rotary switch in order to turn on the light. Immediately, he cringed. The lamp was shockingly bright against the darkness of the room and it hurt his eyes. He suddenly felt uneasy.

Kei checked the time on his phone. 4:30 in the morning. He had slept maybe five or six hours. He didn't know why he felt so good about it. Sadly, there was no way that he could go back to sleep, especially since he turned the light on. He sat up and stretched, groaning and sighing. He'd just do as he planned and watch cartoons for a few hours before getting ready for work.

He went to his kitchen for a mug of coffee, like always. Maybe Kei drank too much of this stuff. Hopefully his sleep schedule would go back to normal soon. He didn't want it to effect his work. He expected trouble sleeping, with moving it would be hard to get comfortable in a bedroom other than his own.

Wait, moving here?

…..no. No no, no no no no no.

He didn't _move_ here. He was staying here for a few weeks in order to find his missing brother.

…

What was his name? Fuck, what was his name? Why couldn't he remember his name?

Kei felt his heartbeat speed up and his skin felt like bugs were crawling under it.

Why couldn't he remember his name? He knew him all of his life, he should remember!

He’ll remember later today. He's just tired.

At least, that's what he convinced himself.

 _I'll wake up soon._ He thought as his coffee brewed.

In the time of a few minutes, he was sitting on his couch, still in his pajama pants and a t-shirt, with a mug of bitter, caffeine filled coffee and a bowl of cereal, just like yesterday. He really needed to go to the store. He really needed to find out where the store was. He could some eggs and rice and vegetables and start eating actual meals. Or maybe he could just get some instant noodles or something. Either plan would work. Just to get away from the cereal.

Cartoons played on the TV again, some anime that looked like it was from the 90’s. He wasn't complaining, he just had a hard time following the plot. He took a long gulp of his coffee and tried to enjoy his soggy, bland cereal. His head ached, but it wasn't anything that caffeine wouldn't fix. He didn't have any Tylenol or Advil to take, so he settled for coffee. He could live through it.

He muffled a cough into his hand. Nope, he's fine. Just a little tickle. Not sick at all. He just had to..power through it. Keep working and everything would be fine. He's not sick.

Once it hit seven o’clock and Kei was bored with whatever shows were being played, he took his dishes to the sink and filled them with water. He'd wash them later. He got dressed in the same style of clothes he dressed in yesterday, the same routine he did yesterday, and left at the same time as yesterday. He liked having the strict routine. It gave him order. The drive took around half an hour with traffic, so if he wanted to get there early, he has to leave at eight-fifteen.

He did grab some money to take for the vending machine, though. He would prefer to actually have a lunch today instead of just drinking coffee.

He arrived later than he wanted to, but still early enough. Not too shabby. He sat at his desk, trying to think of how to decorate it if it was going to be his. He could put a mug there. Maybe get a plant. Or put a picture frame next to his computer. He could put up a calendar, a figurine next to the plant. He wouldn't do any of that, of course. It was tacky and would take too long, not to mention it would cost money to get a frame or a poster or a calendar. No thanks. He wouldn't be decorating. Why would he even do that?

His thoughts were cut off by the door opening, the sound creaking ever so slightly. He spun his chair around, pleased to see the least annoying coworker, it seemed. Yamaguchi stood in the doorway, holding his bag over his shoulder and his cowlick still the same.

“Morning, Tsukishima,” the man chirped before entering the room and heading to his own desk. Kei didn't know if he could call it a chirp, as it was still rather soft. But it was no less energetic.

Yamaguchi sat down at his desk and turned his computer on. Kei was glad to be sat next to him in a way that he could see him without having to turn his chair very much. He was too lazy to think of turning his chair very much to look at him to talk to him or just look. He didn't want to be caught, either. “Morning,” Tsukishima replied shortly. That wasn't what he wanted to sound like. Damn.

Yamaguchi grinned at him anyway. Almost like he could tell he was trying. “How are you settling in?”

“Decently,which was unexpected. I am feeling a bit achy, probably from moving things and not sleeping well. I didn't bring any pain medication with me. I don't know where any stores are either. “

The other man’s smile faltered. “I'm sorry you're not feeling well…” the grin got stronger around the edges, almost better than the one before. “I could show you around town, if you want?” he said with a questioning tone, inviting Kei to refuse easily.

How...endearing. “That would be great. If it's not a problem for you. “

Yamaguchi ducked his head and logged into his computer. “I'll need your number then, Tsukki. “

Kei stopped his thinking in its tracks. “Tsukki?”

Yamaguchi let out a breathy chuckle, his cheeks pink dusted. “Tsukishima is a mouthful. Tsukki is easier. Unless you don't want me to call you that. “

Kei blinked, still left shocked by the name. “No. It's fine. I was just...surprised. I guess. I'll need your number as well.

Yamaguchi beamed at him. “Okay!” He rolled his chair over to him before handing him his phone. Kei typed in his phone number before handing it back. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to get Yamaguchi’s before more people came in and Yamaguchi scrambled to get back to his desk.

Hinata and Kageyama came in, again, eerily quiet. Kei couldn't figure out why Kageyama in particular creeped him out more than other people did, but he just _did_. He was creepy in a different way. Like, he wasn't the same type of unsettling the others were. They were lightly creepy, the way that Kei would think that he was imagining them being creepy. Then Kageyama just was outright spooky. He didn't care about putting on a nice cover. He was scary and didn't act any other way.

Yachi was behind them, humming and hurrying over to her desk. She seemed to always move really fast. Not that that was a problem. Just a bit strange. She was always fidgeting, too. Clicking pens, popping her knuckles, fiddling with her jewelry.

Hinata strode over to Yamaguchi and whispered something in his ear while Yamaguchi tilted his head to make it easier for him. Yamaguchi yelped and went red while the shorter man cackled and went to his desk. Yamaguchi rubbed the back of his neck and giggled, still blushing.

 _Cute_.

At least the cutest one seemed to be the least creepy.

“Get to work. We don't want Daichi to scold us again,” Kageyama brought up. Everyone straightened and got to work. Kei figured there was a story behind that. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Everything was fine until lunch. Lunch is when it all fell apart. Hours of missed sleep caught up to Kei and he was left feeling exhausted and angsty. But he was still being nice. He had to be. He didn't want any enemies as soon as he got to town.

Kei went to go get some coffee and something out of the vending machine. Hinata came with him. Hinata annoyed Kei more than he creeped him out. Hinata was either eerily quiet or way too loud. There was no in between. But he always seemed to be shaking? That was weird. It seemed to be a regular feature as well. Yachi was always shaking. Yamaguchi’s hands would tremble from time to time. Even Kei started noticing shakiness.

Maybe it was just from being scared out of his mind.

Anyway, Hinata was talking about some animal documentary he watched. He was talking about facts about owls. Nothing Kei didn't know already, his coworker from his old job was obsessed with owls, but he didn't tell him that. He nodded along and didn't listen most of the time.

However, in a few minutes he was definitely listening to him. Or at least paying attention. Of course, that was when Hinata spilled a freshly brewed coffee on him.

_Fuck._

_That's it._

Hinata froze, but so did Kei. Fuck, it hurt. It was really hot. Even if it was rapidly cooling, he was pissed. This was too much.

Hinata trembled even more than normal. “I-I'm so sorr-”

Kei interrupted him. “Are you stupid?! Do you or know how to watch where you're going?!” he demanded, loudly, almost a yell.

The smaller man flinched. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-”

“Maybe be careful next time, dumbass!”

Kei cursed and tried to dry himself off. That stain was definitely not coming out. He looked up as he heard footsteps from down the hall. The door was thrown open, revealing a calm man behind it.

Sawamura Daichi, standing tall as he could. Cold and calm. “Everything okay in here, boys?” he asked sweetly.

Kei’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “Hinata spilled his coffee on me,” he said, voice filled with venom.

“I didn't mean to! I’m sorry!” Hinata protested, looking close to tears. Kei felt a sick sense of satisfaction.

“Well, Tsukishima-San, it wasn't very nice of you to yell at him Hinata after he’s said he's sorry, “ the stocky man said, voice even as he made his way to the redhead. He put an arm around his shoulder and squeezed, trying to comfort him.

Kei scoffed. “Are you a kindergarten teacher or something?” he insulted.

Daichi’s grin widened and his eyebrow twitched. “Are you feeling alright?”

Kei feels dread sink into his stomach. He fucked up.

“A little under the weather. I'm tired. “

“Moving is stressful. “ Daichi tutted sympathetically. “How about you take tomorrow to go to the doctor to see what's wrong, and Hinata pays for your dry cleaning?”

Kei bit his lip and hesitated. He didn't want to have to miss work after a day and a half because he was _stressed_. But it looked like he couldn't do anything about it.

“Now, Tsukishima-san, apologize to Hinata-kun for scaring him. “

Kei felt it move up his throat before he knew it.

“I'm sorry I yelled at you. “ It was meaningless. They all knew that.

Hinata’s eyes were still watery as he hugged himself. Pathetic. Kei fought the urge to smirk.

“I forgive you,“ Hinata said and rubbed his eyes with his sleeves. “I'll pay for the dry cleaning. “

“Now, Tsukishima. Go home, “ Daichi said, still smiling. “Go to the doctor tomorrow. “

Tsukishima couldn't think before he was turning around and leaving the room.

He felt absolutely pathetic. He hadn't been at work for a week before his boss made him leave. He would have to act amazingly in order to make up for it. Fuck.

He went to grab his stuff when Yamaguchi grabbed his wrist. He raised an eyebrow at him.

He smiled kindly back. “It's okay,” he whispered. “Everyone needs a break now and then. Shimizu-San will help you. “ he squeezed his wrist gently. “I hope you feel better. “

“I do too, “ Kei whispered stiffly before leaving.

He wallowed in self pity for a few minutes in the car before going home. God, Hinata looked so scared when Kei yelled at him. He forgot that he had the ability to scare people that were smaller than him. He feels awful. He deserves it. He shouldn't have yelled at the redhead for a mistake.

Rest will do him good. He thinks that, at least. 

 

* * *

 

 

Later that evening, while Kei is laying on his couch, watching bad cartoons of course, and eating cheap snacks from a convenient store he got on the drive to Karasuno, his phone lights up.

Huh. A text message.

**_Unknown Number:_ **

_Hi! This is Yamaguchi, I hope you're feeling better!_

Kei tilts his head. How...kind. And weird. But kind.

**_Sent to Unknown Number:_ **

_I am feeling a bit better, thank you._

He quickly changed Yamaguchi’s contact.

**_Yamaguchi Tadashi:_ **

_What are you up to?_

**_Sent to Yamaguchi Tadashi:_ **

_Nothing, really. Watching television. You?_

**_Yamaguchi Tadashi:_ **

_Same, actually._

**_Yamaguchi Tadashi:_ **

_Are you still in pain? Do you want me to bring by some pain pills or something?_

**_Sent to Yamaguchi Tadashi:_ **

_No, I'm good. Thank you for offering._

**_Yamaguchi Tadashi:_ **

_Feel better!_

Kei smiled and set his phone back down, feeling all warm and mushy inside. It felt nice to be cared about.

 

* * *

 

 

In the house next door, Sawamura Daichi arrived home. He tended to get home later than his husband did, closer to six o’clock rather than four or five o’clock.

That had some upsides, though. He never had to wait to see his beloved, and the man normally had dinner ready, if he was feeling well. He was always feeling well. He took his medicine on time and abided by the laws, so why wouldn't he be well?

However, Daichi has some rather unpleasant news for his precious love, some that he'd rather not deliver. When he walked into the kitchen, Koushi was stirring something around in a pan, humming a cheerful tune.

Daichi decided to be cheesy and wrap his arms around his waist. “Hello,“ he said into his ear.

Koushi rested his free hand on top of one of Daichi’s. “Welcome home,“ he said, smile obvious in his tone.

“Your shortcake plan didn't work as we planned, dear,“ Daichi told him.

Koushi was silent, the grin dripping off his face and onto the floor. “Oh?” he asked.

“Tsukishima-kun had a bit of an...outburst. Yelled at Hinata. “

Koushi tensed. “he yelled?” he asked.

“Mhm” Daichi nuzzled the back of Koushi’s head gently, trying to calm him down.

Koushi sighed. “Well, we’ll have to get him to Shimizu. “

Daichi smirked. “Already got it scheduled. “

“Good job. “ Koushi turned around and pecked Daichi on the cheek. “Now go set the table. “

“Will do. “

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think Hinata whispered something like "get that ass Tadashi" but I think it was a lot less explicit  
> so we got some budding romance that's cool that's great also what's Daisuga up to???  
> as always, drop a kudo, comment, and a bookmark and hmu on @gayyachi on instagram. I'll probably make a tumblr soon so look forward to that. 
> 
> Next time:  
> Kool Kiyoko prescribes some pills and Yamaguchi just keeps getting picked on >:(


	4. a sickly introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei goes to the doctor's office. Also, Tadashi makes some bad decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um if you're uncomfortable with light violence don't read the second the last scene. should start with something like "Yamaguchi Tadashi has screwed up" and end with "Fuck. "

“What are you experiencing, Tsukishima-san?” The doctor asked. Her voice was nice, different than others. It was soft and pretty and melodic, so he didn't mind listening to it.

His doctor, Shimizu-san, actually, looked at him expectantly. She had long, soft looking black hair and pink rimmed glasses, and pale skin and gray eyes. She looked familiar, but Kei couldn't place where he would've seen or met her. Strange.

He had decided to follow Daichi’s advice, or rather, orders, to go into the doctor’s office for an appointment to deal with his sour mood. Or his “stress”. That still seemed pathetic to Kei. Having to take a sick day because he was stressed and yelling at people? Ugh. He didn't even know that was allowed. Though that wasn't what was weird about this day. There had to be something weird every day. Why was that? Could he just go a day without risking a panic attack in public?

Anyway, it was something else. Something much creepier. When he went to the office, he already had an appointment. That wasn't the whole story, but it still bothered him. Maybe Daichi-san had made it for him? Why would he, though? How would he have known when he went in? Maybe he...called ahead and forgot about it? That had to be it. Anything else wouldn't have made any sense.

When he walked into the waiting room, it was basic. It was a small room, lined with chairs with a table with one of those baby toys sat on top of magazines. There was a front desk with a sleepy looking man doing something on a computer behind it. Kei walked up to the desk, the hairs on his arms standing up. Something about this was wrong.

The man looked up at him once he was in front of it, smiling lazily, yet the look in his eyes showed he was annoyed. Maybe he was just very tired. The bags below his eyes pointed to that. “Tsukishima-san.” He said. “We've been expecting you. Your appointment is in ten minutes. “ He started tapping the counter with one hand while pointing at the clock across the room with another.

Kei swallowed. Why did he have to word it like that? That was awful. His whole life was a horror movie now, that was great. Perfect. Peachy. Kei felt like he had to turn back and run away, run out of Karasuno and back home to his apartment and hide below his bed. But he wouldn't have a job there. He came here for the job, after all. He had a job and a house and a life to start here. He still hoped he'd get used to it, or something along those lines.

He still didn't feel right at all. He felt left. He's always shaking now and his stomach is always trying to turn itself inside out. Don't forget the constant headaches that sleep or caffeine or anything that used to cure him didn't help. Or the spontaneous nosebleeds. He's also just so _tired_ all of the time. He was embarrassed to have to call in sick, but maybe he _did_ need this. Maybe he would get prescribed some miracle pill and he'd be healed and be fine.

Why does he care so much about this job anyway? He needed to keep it, of course, but he had permission to have an off day. Why was he so freaked out by it? It didn't make sense to make a fuss out of this. When did he get so emotionally invested in it? That wasn't a thing he really did. It was too much effort and he would end up being sad when it was over. So why was he so freaked out about not putting any effort into this? It made him cringe. He'd be back to work in no time, so there was really nothing wrong with skipping it.

“Tsukishima-san?” Shimizu asked again, calling him out of his thoughts. Well, that proved how tired he really was.

“I'm experiencing headaches that I can't stop with medicine or other cures, sleeping problems, nausea, mood swings, nosebleeds, anxiety, things like that. “

Shimizu scribbled that down on her clipboard. “How severe is each symptom?”

“The headache isn't too severe, just there and annoying. If it's a pain scale, it's a three out of ten. The nausea is also just present, but I think it's because of the anxiety. Three out of ten as well. The nosebleeds aren't painful, just irritating and a bit creepy. One out of ten at worst. I'd prefer to not have them. The not being able to sleep is a seven, as I think it could be the reason why I'm having most of these issues. The mood swings aren't too severe either. I'm also experiencing super weird nightmares and I'm not sure what they mean or if they do mean anything. Just a thing to bring up. “

Shimizu hummed to acknowledge him and continuously jotted down notes on her paper.

_Scritch scritch scritch drag._

_Scritch_.

Shimizu looked back up at him, over her glasses. “What are the nightmares about?” She asked. “You don't have to super descriptive on them. I'm just testing a theory I have. “

“Um. I don't remember the first one but I know it happened. Last night I had a nightmare about a cake my neighbor made me after I moved in. I ate it all the night before. The dream was weird, it had, like, bugs crawling out of it and stuff. Like spiders and ants and worms and things like that. Enough to make me not eat breakfast in the morning. “

Shimizu nodded and wrote that down. “Originally, I assumed you're just stressed about moving here and it's all the effect of that. Anxiety, not being able to sleep in an unfamiliar place, nausea from the anxiety, mood swings and headaches from the lack of sleep. Dreams could be caused by the feeling of not knowing people and their intentions. But you could definitely be coming down with something as well. “ She informed him and pushed up her glasses. Kei was suddenly tempted to do the same.

She made a clicking noise with her tongue and tapped her pen on the paper. Kei nodded. “Okay. That makes sense. “ he didn't agree with the sick part, but she was the doctor, so it didn't matter what he thought. He needed to listen to her. “Either way it makes sense. “ it was interesting, he had to admit, the way she pieced it all together to being linked to one thing.

“I'll prescribe you something. “ she said and looked back at her paper. “There's this pill. It's over the counter and should help with all of these problems. It's cheap and you can trust it. You can pick it up at the grocery store. I take it. My friends take it. My family takes it. “ she told him.

Kei furrowed his brows. “O...kay. “ be agreed. Why would do many people take a pill? It seemed fishy. Maybe it's like ibuprofen or something. Maybe it helps with a whole lot of things.

“Take one at night, one in the morning. It’s a life saver, I promise. Once the symptoms disappear, start taking one in the morning and staying like that. “ she told him and handed a slip of paper to him, her instructions written on it neatly. Her handwriting was nice and curly and loopy.

“There you go. “ she said in a cheerful voice. “The bottle should have a big black symbol on it. You can't miss it. It's like the one on your necklace. “

Kei’s blood ran cold. “Oh?” He asked. The air in the room suddenly changed, crisp and clean turning to dead and thick. The trembling came back and caused his fingers to quiver. “Okay. “ he said, trying to keep the sudden panic out of his voice. “I'll get some. Thank you, Shimizu-san.” He didn't feel himself saying that, but he heard it as it pushed itself out of his mouth. He felt sick again. He felt like someone was behind him. With a knife. He was in danger.

Shimizu looked at him. “You work with Hitoka, right?” She asked. “Yachi, I mean. “

Kei blinked. “Oh. Yeah. Um. Yachi. She's nice. I think she's a bit scared of me though. Why?”

“Oh. I..she's my fiancée. “ Shimizu said softly and a grin pulled at her lips.

Kei’s mouth opened a little bit. “Oh….” he said. That's where he remembered her from. The photo on Yachi’s desk. The smiling woman. “Congratulations.” He said flatly, not really knowing how to respond.

“Have a nice day, Tsukishima-san. “ Shimizu said and turned around, though she was still smiling. Kei left, hurrying to the waiting room.

Unfortunately, the man behind the counter was already talking to someone. This felt like the most normal interaction of his stay here after three days. The man was chatting with his eyes wider than before, seeming to be excited. The man in front of Kei was a bit odd and scary looking, but Kei was taller than him and it was a bit hard to be scared of him. They were chatting about the weather. The thing that worried Kei the most was that the man seemed to have sharp teeth.

Kei only had one question.

What the fuck?

Um, okay. Now they're flirting. Taking their sweet time. Kei sighed. This would take a while. It was a few minutes before, finally, the dude in front of him goes to sit on one of the chairs in the waiting room. Kei walked up to the front of the desk, taking a deep breath.

“I need to pay. “ he told the man at the desk, who was back to looking like he hadn't slept in a while.

“Whoever made the appointment paid for you. “ the man told him , looking back at the computer screen before turning his gaze back to Kei. “Someone's got your back~” he said, almost singing it.

“That was...nice of them.” Kei said softly. He should have been grateful, but he was again, creeped the fuck out. Who paid for him? Why would they do that? He doesn't know anyone here enough for them to do that, that's impossible. Fine. He huffed. “Thanks for the info. “

“Come again…” the sleepy man hummed and went back to the computer screen.

Kei left, still flabbergasted and shocked at the fact that someone already paid for him. That was beyond nice. Especially if they don't tell who did it. That's really weird. Scary weird. Anyway. Now he's gonna go get some spooky Aspirin. Great. He got in his car and sighed, rubbing his cheeks. This better work. However, he was gonna go nap before he left.

The last thing he remembered before waking up with the sun setting was laying on his bed and staring at the red and black globby painting across the room.

 

* * *

 

 

Of course he accidentally napped for five hours. Do you know him?

Now, it took him forever to even find the grocery store. He assumed it was somewhere in the town square, in the thick of things where people were most. But for some reason, because things liked to be difficult for him, it wasn't there. It took so long to find! He was in the car for more than half an hour just trying to find the place. His GPS wasn't working either. He didn't know why, but it was. Maybe it just wanted him to be independent and find it himself. He didn't like that idea but he had no other option. This was a great day for everything to go wrong.

He eventually found it in some neighborhood, behind the town square by several miles. It was small for a grocery store. Now that he thought about it, shouldn't there be several stores like that in a town this big? He didn't know. He was still tired after that nap so he couldn't find much energy to be grumpy about it. He got out of his car, slammed the door a little too hard, and walked into the store. It was getting late and the store was about to close, so it was lucky that he got in.

He observed some tired cashiers in the front and briskly walked to the pharmacy section of the store, where he assumed the pill would be. It wouldn't make sense if it wasn't there, to be honest. He walked down a few aisles before stepping in his tracks as the bottle caught his eye. Or should he say “bottles.”

_Holy shit._

That is a lot of bottles. The entire aisle was just filled with the same bottle of pills. Shelf after shelf after shelf, row after row. Both sides were covered in this bottle. This small, white bottle with a big black symbol on the middle of it. Why is there so much?

The star with no head on its side. The same kind of pill, apparently. Not different pills by the same brand. The same type. Hundreds of them.

Maybe it was in heavy demand with how many people apparently took it in this town. He still didn't understand just why there were so many. He didn't wanna get hung up on it or something, it was just disturbing.

Maybe he was right. It did seem like a whole lot of people took this pill. And it did cover a wide range of symptoms. Nausea, headaches, anxiety, insomnia, shakes, all of that bad stuff seemed to be covered by it. At least he was told that it covered all of that. Maybe people took it for those reasons and took it whenever they faced any of them. Didn't completely excuse it all, it was still fucking weird.

He grabbed a bottle and held it in his hand for a second, staring at it. He felt like he was almost in a trance. He looked at the numbers and writing on the bottle. It was one of those twist tops that he had trouble with as a child. He supposed that was the point though. To keep the children from taking it.

He walked to the front, slower this time since he wasn't in such a rush. He looked at the cashier of the only station open now, who looked a little bored. He was leaning on his hand and looking around, obviously holding a lot of energy but not able to work it out. His hair stood straight up, except for a strand that hung in his face, and he felt like if he grabbed it it would crunch. Not that he was gonna do that. Just a thought. _Crunch_.

He smiled excitedly when Kei set his bottle down.

“Aw, man! This stuff is great!” He almost cawed. “It'll help with all of your problems! Good choice!” He did a fist pump.

Ugh. Not another loud one.

He scanned his stuff and Kei swiped his credit card. The overly energetic man put it in a bag and handed it to him.

“I hope you get home in time, curfew is soon! You don't wanna get caught!” He said in a joking tone.

Curfew? What?

Kei decided to take his word for it and hurried back into his car to get home.

He was almost home when it happened. Which was lucky, he guessed.

It was nine-oh-five when he was pulled over by a cop car.

What? He didn't think he was breaking a law?

He rolled his window down like a good boy and waited to be talked to. A scary looking guy approached the window, but he had a warm smile compared to all the cold ones, so Kei almost trusted that he wouldn't get murdered.

“Hello, Tsukishima-san. “ the man said to him. How did he know his name? Why did this keep happening to him?

“Yes, sir?” He knew to be polite. He didn't want to offend the cop and be in even more trouble.

“I know you're new here, so I'm hesitant to punish you for anything. You probably don't know any of the rules yet. If you were a person who'd lived here for longer, you'd be in trouble. The curfew during the week is nine fifteen, so you're just over it. “ the cop informed him. “On the weekend it is eleven-fifteen, if you were curious. If you're ever out past curfew, say, you fell asleep or didn't notice, you can call a cop and you'll be escorted home. “

Kei blinked. “Oh. Okay. “ he was confused now, but he understood, he guessed. It was weird, and the guy looked pleasant and nice, but Kei was confused and a little bit pissed. “I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'm almost home, though. Just a little bit farther. “ he told the man, hoping he wouldn't be seen as rude.

“Okay! Have a nice night!” The cop went to get back into his car and Kei sighed, leaning his forehead into his steering wheel. That was close. He went home as quick as he could. That was really odd. Weren't cops supposed to be a bit more...I dunno…thorough? Ask for his license and all? He probably already knew it was him, judging on how he knew his name. How did he, by the way? Why did everyone know his name?

Kei took the bag inside and got a glass of water to take it with. He twisted the bottle open and tossed back a pill with the cold water, hoping it would work and it wasn't just a waste of money.

Suddenly he felt very very tired. Exhausted, even. He felt like if he laid down he would pass out. That sounded amazing, so he wasn't gonna complain. He was about to head to his bedroom when he heard the doorbell ring.

Huh? That was strange.

He opened the door and was surprised to see Yamaguchi standing there. He was holding a one of those pan-slash-box that you would put food into to put in the fridge. He shoved it into his arms. “Feel better!” He said and ran off.

That was...special. And by that he meant very weird.

“Thanks!” Kei called after him and closed the door. He set down the container and watched it for a second, like it would grow legs and crawl away if he didn't.

It was really nice of him to do this, no matter how weird it was. His coworker made him food while he was feeling sick. Odd but kind. He wasn't sure if he should eat it. No, eat the food. It would be rude if he didn't.

He opened it and grabbed a pair of chopsticks, seeing noodles in some sort of sauce. He tried it and almost gasped. It was really, really good. Wow. He'd have to thank Yamaguchi for it later.

He scarfed down at least half of the pan before he put the lid back on to put it in the fridge. He could eat the rest tomorrow night. It was so nice to finally be hungry again.

He yawned into his hand. He felt human again.

 

* * *

 

 

Yamaguchi Tadashi has screwed up.

Big time screwed up.

He had lost track of time after dinner, watching far too much TV and spending far too long in the shower to take his coworker a meal.

To be honest, he wouldn't have made it for anyone else. Tsukishima was….different. The way he walked, talked, and just acted. He had a bad attitude and he altogether was so new to Tadashi.

He was incredibly attracted to him. He wasn't ashamed of saying that. He was everything Tadashi never was and he had never met someone like him. It was almost expected that he would be attracted to him. He was curious on why he acted like that, and curious about everything else, to be honest. Wasn't that how attraction worked, though?

Apparently this completely erased his logic.

He went out past curfew for a man he didn't know because he found him attractive.

It's honestly the dumbest thing he has ever done.

He hopes Tsukishima enjoys the meal, at least.

He was shaking so hard. His fingers were trembling so hard his key ring jingled and he couldn't get the key in the slot. He had to get in. He had to get in fast. What time was it anyway? Sweat dripped down his forehead and he was still shivering as he unlocked his door the whole way.

However, before he could even open the door he felt an arm wrap around him from behind. Fuck.  
Another arm wrapped around his shoulders, covering his mouth. The hand squeezed painfully, squishing his cheeks and making Tadashi whimper.

“Tada-chan~” a sweet voice crooned in his ear. Filled with honey and fake sugar that people put in their coffee.

“I thought this wouldn't happen again….” the voice tutted. “I'm disappointed. Do we need to teach you another lesson?” The sweet voice whispered in his ear. The voice was dangerously quiet, and he knew why. They needed him to be quiet. They couldn't be heard.

He closed his eyes. Maybe he was just dreaming. But they were already filling with tears as he held back a sob that wouldn't be heard with the hand covering his mouth.

Fuck.

 

* * *

 

 

Kei slept soundly that night. He had to remember to thank Yamaguchi for the meal when he went to work. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed! please leave a comment if you liked, it reminds me that you liked it and helps me feel better about my writing. 
> 
> as always, hmu at @gayyachi on instagram. 
> 
> next time: Kei's feeling great but his coworkers are acting a bit weird. Kageyama drags Hinata into a bathroom. 
> 
> um how do I make my first note stop appearing after this


	5. a healthy introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei is feeling better than ever, but his coworkers seem less than normal today. Strange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was the hardest chapter to write and it's kinda bad but rest assured the writing will be confidently okay by the time it's chapter seven it's just hard rn bc I don't know how to write this kind of thing
> 
> also watch out for referenced violence and drugs if you're triggered by that!! this chapter is full of it!!

To say that the pills worked would be a drastic understatement.

Kei was honestly shocked with the results. He didn't expect it to work that well at all, he expected it to be fake and only help with the headaches at most. He expected it to be a complete waste of money.

But he felt better. Of course, that wasn't bad. It was great! Now Kei could get back to work and go back to the way he was before.

His dreams were blissful and free of the nightmares that plagued him ever since he had arrived to Karasuno, leaving him feeling better rested than he had felt in years. The colors were more vibrant and bright instead of dull and dark, the noises from the streets outside calmed him and pulled his lips into a grin instead of making him want to bash his skull into a wall. He was no longer annoyed, which was definitely a surprise. Kei had forgotten what that was like.

Gone was his pounding headache and nausea. His head was swimming pleasantly and his brain filled with clouds, making him feel cheerful and calm. He was hungry, though he assumed that was good, since he had barely been eating. Maybe later today he could get some groceries.

His skin wasn't tight anymore, trapping him and choking him and forcing his energy to remain inside and keeping his anxiety stuck in his chest. His arms weren't infested with the maggots and flies that had previously been squirming around on top of his flesh.

His nose did not bled and limbs are filled with blood and more alive than they were previously. Kei felt blessed by whatever god happened to exist.

So he tipped back another pill, like the doctor prescribed. He made himself some coffee and more cereal for breakfast, since he still hadn't had a chance to do grocery shopping. He would kill for some rice or eggs or even toast. He really needed to get to the store again. At least he knew where it was now; he could easily find it and get the things he needed for basic cooking necessities.

He hums a tune from some preppy pop song he ears on the radio before he started to eat. He ate quicker than he did normally. He needed his energy for a productive work day, after all.

He packed a lunch of the leftovers from the meal Yamaguchi had so kindly made for him and headed to work.

Kei was sitting in his chair, already logged in to his computer when Yamaguchi walked in with his bag. “Morning!” Kei said to him, a cheerful lilt in his voice. His voice sounded higher but he found he quite enjoyed it. He liked the change. It made him sound nicer. Yamaguchi sat down at his desk and grinned at him, though it seemed to wobble on the edges.

“Morning, Tsukki. Are you feeling any better today?” He asked. His voice was weak and small. It was hoarse, like he'd been yelling.

Kei's chest fills with hot concern. It must have shown on his face because Yamaguchi’s shows sympathy and guilt. Freezing emotion versus scalding.

“In okay. I was out late and didn't have much time to sleep. “ Yamaguchi told him, trying to comfort him.

“Of course. It happens to all of us. I'm sure you'll feel better after a good nights sleep. “ he brushed it off of his mind, knowing that he would be okay. He smiled at Yamaguchi and it was filled with honey and sugar. He liked how it tasted. It stained his teeth and showed off to his coworker.

Yamaguchi chucked, but it was choked off. “I'm sure it will. Thank you. “ he told him.

Kei tilted his head. The shorter man was acting strange today. Huh. Maybe he was getting sick? Or worse, maybe Kei made him sick.

“You're acting different too. “ Yamaguchi blurted voice louder too. If his voice was corporeal, it would be trembling as hard as it’s owner’s fingers.

Kei blinked and raised his brows. “What do you mean?” He asked the other.

“I...dont know. You're just different today. “ Yamaguchi’s face looked...Kei doesn't know. He can't decipher the expression. “Maybe this means you're better!” Yamaguchi said hopefully, looking at Kei.

Kei wants the smile to stay there. He wants to carve it into his cheeks and watch it drip crimson colored liquid onto the floor and leave a permanent grin behind. He wants to pin the corners of his mouth to his cheeks and make sure he was always happy. His smiles were always filled with sugar and honey and sunshine.

Yamaguchi looked down and the illusion shattered. Damn.

Kei's throat ran dry as he tried to think of something to say to ease the silence. “Did I give you whatever I had?” He joked. He paused as Yamaguchi shrugged. “Are you sure you're okay?” The words are laced with concern and it feels foreign leaving his lips when he normally spits bullets and daggers.

Yamaguchi snorted. Kei wasn't sure why he found it funny, he couldn't see any humor there. Kei was confused. “No, it's not that. I'm just tired. Promise. “ he assured him. “I'll be fine come tomorrow. Everything will be fine. “ Kei nodded and comfort wrapped around him like a heavy winter coat. He'll take his word for it. “How are you feeling?” Yamaguchi suddenly asked. It was his turn for his voice to be filled with concern.

Kei smiled widely. “I feel great. Everything that was bothering me before doesn't phase me. I actually slept really well for the first time since I got here. I feel better mood wise as well. It helped a lot. “ his tone was light and bright and happy. It was excited and filled with glee that he was finally okay. Yamaguchi nodded and smiled genuinely. Kei wanted to staple his skin together to make it stay.

“That's great, Tsukki! I'm glass that you're happier. Moving here is stressful. “ Kei isn't sure why he put emphasis on the “here”. Why here in particular? That's okay, though. He meant moving in general. He just messed up his words. That's all. Everything is okay. Kei is filled with light and sugar sunshine and he is _calm_ for the first time in a long time. Everything is okay and everything is perfectly fine. Kei is happy and he feels motivated for work. All is right with the world.

Hinata and Kageyama are as quiet as ever. As always. A peaceful quiet that allowed their coworkers to work as hard as possible. They could focus on people to help and emails to send. Kei always thrived in silence. Now it was heavier, cloudier, in his mind. It was calm and filled him with happiness. Hinata does not chat to Yamaguchi like he normally does. He does not squawk and scream and screech about whatever animal he watched a documentary about the night before. He does not spout facts on screech owls and crows and cats. Kei is glad. He, again, can focus he say he needs to for work. Kei feels like everyone works better in silence, to be completely and totally honest.

Though Yamaguchi seemed...worried. Conflicted about it. Maybe. His eyes would wander to the red head’s back and desk far more than he needed to or presumably wanted to. His eyes would fill with concern like a bathtub and water and he'd try to ask the man questions.

“How was your afternoon yesterday, Hinata?”

“How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

“I hear that a documentary about frogs is coming on later tonight…”

Each time, he was met with “mhm” or head nods, or “yeah.” Kei didn't know what was wrong with, or how much he actually wanted to needed to worry about it. He cared about his coworker, but he was _**fine**_. Nothing could be wrong with him. He is able to work and he is healthy. There should be nothing wrong with him.

Why were his coworkers acting so weird today? First Yamaguchi is tired and anxious and sickly, now Hinata just seemed absolutely terrified. Was that Kei’s fault? Certainly not. It shouldn't be, at least. Yelling at him once shouldn't emotionally scar him. Yelling at someone for spilling hot coffee shouldn't make them terrified of you. So it couldn't be that. Maybe he was just tired like Yamaguchi. Yeah. That was it. It had to be it. He was just…tired. He'd be fine tomorrow. Maybe he should take some of the pills Kei took. Maybe that would help his mood.

 

* * *

 

 

Kei decided to go out for his lunch break. He deserved it and had some money to spend, so he thought he'd go get something to munch on instead of packing something. It could be cheap. He was happy about that.

He was just so hungry ever since he started taking the medicine. Snacks from the vending machine weren't enough anymore. He presumed him being hungry was healthy, as he had been living on snack food and skipping meals before. Maybe he'd be back on the right track now, health wise. He was grabbing his bag when Kageyama looked at him. “Where are you going, Tsukishima?” The dark haired man asked, voice as flat as ever.

Kei tilted his head and thought. “I'm not sure. I'm going to go get something to eat, but I don't know any places here. “

“Can I come with you?” The raven asked him, eyes dark and commanding. He was giving off a panicked aura, and it made Kei squirm.

“Sure!” Kei said with pep in his voice. How nice, lunch with his coworker. “I'll pay for you if you pay next time!” He offered and started walking to get out of the building.

Kageyama’s expression changed suddenly. Kei couldn't pin why or what he was thinking, but it was different now.

Kageyama followed him down with an “Oh, thank you,” and he walked to his car, checking everyone and then to make sure the man was still behind him.

Kageyama already knew what his car looked like, so it was almost like he was walking next to him, but stayed back to be polite and allow himself to be lead. From the day that he helped him fit into society and all. Kei should have thanked him more for that.

Once they were both seated in Kei’s car, Kageyama looked over at him. “Did you notice Hinata and Yamaguchi’s behavior today?” He asked.

Kei hummed in return. “I did, it was strange. They both seemed very on edge. “ he said, in a cheerful tone, hoping to add light to the conversation. “Though I'm sure they will be better tomorrow. They're probably just tired. “

Kageyama opened his mouth but shut it after. He looked like a fish.

He turned forward and looked out of the window. “That's true. And I'll give you the directions to a good lunch place near here. “

 

* * *

 

 

Kageyama Tobio was worried out of his mind.

Shouyou...wasn't himself today. And that worried him thoroughly. Shouyou was a very specific person, who said and did very specific things, but those things were gone today.

He wasn't the normal happy, peppy man that Tobio talked to and considered himself good friends with. He knew Hinata had been punished for the spilt coffee. It was obvious from the droop in his body, the red in his eyes, and the flinch of when he moved and his sleeves rubbed against the obviously there wounds. It was obvious in the way he breathed, even. He was not a person who was good at hiding things.

Tobio had known Shouyou for as long as he'd been in this town, and they'd been friends ever since they'd met. Tobio was annoyed by him but treated him well, knowing that if he didn't, bad things would happen. And they're still friends today. Well. Maybe friends.

Tobio could barely imagine being annoyed with Shouyou now. It was such a foreign concept.

“Hey. “ he said to the red haired man, standing behind his chair. “Can I talk to you for a minute or two?” He asked.

Shouyou turned his chair around and looked up at him with a confused gaze. “Y-yes? What is it, Kageyama?” He asked, voice shaky and quiet.

“In private, Shouyou.” He said in a firm voice.

The smaller man stood and blinked at him. “Okay. “ he said in the same small and weak tone.

Tobio grabbed his hand and pulled him, more of a drag, he will admit, out of the office. He dragged him down the winding halls and into a bathroom, one away from most office or conference rooms. He pulled him into one of the stalls and locked the door before pushing him against it.

Shouyou looked up at him. “What are you doing?” He asked, looking around. “Is this the best place to have a chat?” He asked, picking at the sleeves of the yellow sweater he had picked for the day.

Tobio sighed and blushed at the way they stood, and how others could read the situation, but he pressed on nonetheless.

“This is a little forward-” The man tried to joke, dredges of the normally lived in his eyes swirling in them as he chuckled.

“Not that. “ Tobio corrected and grabbed one of Shouyou's arms gently, before rolling back the sleeves. He winced and tried to stop him. He hisssd through his teeth and tried to pull it back, but Tobio rolled it up to his elbow and was shown what he was looking for. He felt anger shoot in his stomach.

Shouyou's arms were dotted with red circular marks on the normally pale skin. Red, irritated and nonexistent skin. Burn makes, Tobio knew. He had gone through it himself, so why wouldn't he know what they were? They'd leave scars, and Tobio was angered that his arms would forever hold the pain, the marks that he didn't deserve. He opened his mouth to speak.

“It doesn't hurt. “ Shouyou interupted. He wasn't lying, Tobio knew that it didn't. It made him shiver and it made bugs crawl on the surface of his skin.

“Shouyou, please-” he started, begging him to do what they had discussed so much in the past.

He sighed, not surprised that it would be brought up again. “Tobio...I know you think it will help. “ he tried to soothe him. “But it won't. Look at yourself. “ Tobio tried to not be offended by that. “I'm not doing it. I'm sorry. “ he said firmly.

Tobio stared at his feet, feeling all his hopes go down the drain. “Once you do it you'll understand. “ he tried to reason.

“Tobio…”

“Fine. “ he said and let go of Shouyou's arm and pushed him out of the way to leave. He went back to his office and to his desk.

 

* * *

 

 

Kageyama Tobio is home, and he is completely and utterly alone, except for the wet and heavy feeling of being watched and the demons personified as scars on his back.

Tobio is alone, but hasn't he always been? Alone when he was in school, alone in a town far away from this one, alone as a troubled teen with control issues that floated to the surface of his skin through fights and yells and screams. Alone when he moved, he and his father, far away from a rotten home that once raised him up. Alone in a town where everyone shook and had heads filled with sugar and honey and sunshine.

Tobio was alone in the bed of his precious one who didn't know how precious he was. Alone in facing the cold, empty stares of a man who's dreams had been replaced with pills that he bought at the corner market. Tobio had always been alone.

But now it _hurts_. It hurts and he was so close to not being as alone as before. Only to show up to be presented with a hollow haze and a light tone. It hurts.

Tobio had one chance. And it was gone.

“Fuck!” He yelled and punched a wall in his house, a house that was identical to all the others on his street. “Fuck!” He shouted and knew one thing. He knew just one thing and that was all.

He couldn't do it alone. 

 

* * *

 

 

A week had passed and everything seemed to have fallen into place. Kei had friends, a home, and a job. He was no longer in pain and couldn't remember the last time he was truly in pain. Pain, physical or emotional, is a distant memory imprinted on shed skin.

Kei is happy. He goes to work everyday, expect on weekends, and has a good time. Kei is productive and friendly and happy and that is all he needs to know

Except that he is invited to have dinner at Yachi’s house this weekend. Saturday night to be exact. At seven o clock. He is going to be at her house and at her dinner table with his friends. Just him and his friends. At Yachi’s house.

What a nice plan.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ya girl's gotta get that Desert Bluffs feel to this whole thing. Unfulfilled?  
> ok cool beans thanks for reading! since I'm back in school now updating is hard, so I think I'll try to get a chapter out every two weeks, or even quicker. No promises though. This is farther than I've ever gotten for a fic so I'm proud of myself :) 
> 
> As always, leave a kudo and a comment and hmu on what is now volleyboikawa on instagram!! if I haven't updated in two weeks please dm me in all caps I will probably do what you tell me to 
> 
> next time: there's a partay and the rating goes up huhu also Tadashi needs help can someone help him


	6. a fun introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei attends a party, Yamaguchi gets sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> doubly update today :) also there is graphic description of violence in today's chapter, also mentions of non consensual sex bc the characters r drugged

Kei was fiddling with his tie when the clock struck six-thirty. His hair was combed neatly, showing that he spent longer on it than he remembered every spending on it before. He wanted to look good. For his friends, for his boss, for his budding romance with Yamaguchi, for everything if he wants to be honest. Kei felt better when he dressed and looked nice, anyway. He didn't have to explain it to anyone.

He had high hopes for this town, and as people say, dress to impress, right? So yeah. He wanted his boss to like him and find him cool. He wanted his friends to like him and find him cool. He wanted Yamaguchi to like him and find him cool. If he wanted any of this to work out, he had to try. So he did.

He wore a clean, wrinkle free button up shirt, that he ironed of course, and neat, black pants. Yeah, and the bow tie. Don't forget that. He didn't want to seem completely stuffy either or like he tried too hard, just like he cared. So he added the tie to be fun. He didn't actually know he owned that.

He checked the time on the watch he wore on his wrist. Six-thirty-three. How far away was Yachi’s house? He didn't wanna be the obnoxious one who got there way too early. But he also didn't wanna be obnoxiously late. He had nothing else to do. He was troubled by this but decided to just leave. If he got there too early, he'd just sit in his car for a few minutes.

  
He got there almost directly on time. He arrived and six-fifty-nine, but he doesn't see a problem with just going inside at this point. It should be fine.

Yachi’s house is cute. A little larger than Kei’s, but otherwise identical. She had bright colored flowers in her garden, making it apparent that she took care of it deliberately. It was familiar and comforting and made him feel more connected to the small woman. If that was what the identical houses caused, it was great. A great idea.

He parked in the driveway, behind a small gray car, and god out quietly. He wondered if anyone else was here yet. It would probably be preferred they were. It wouldn't be as awkward if he was there with Hinata or something. If not, he'd talk to Shimizu and Yachi a lot more than he would have other wise, so that's okay. If anything, that would have been better. He could get closer to them.

He knocked on the door three times. The door opens, Shimizu-san smiled sweetly at him from inside. “Come in, come in-” she said and stepped aside. Kei stepped in and looked around.

“Thank you for having me. “ he said and bowed a little bit.

“No problem. I'm so happy that Hitoka has friends to bring. “ shimizu said cheerfully. “I have to go help with the cooking, but thank you for coming!” She hurried back to the kitchen.

Kei looked to the couch and noticed that Yamaguchi was sitting there, scrolling on his phone. Kei sat down, leaving a little bit of space in between them. Yamaguchi looked up at him and turned his phone off then slipped it into his pocket. He smiled sheepishly.

“Hi,“ he said.

“Hi,“ Kei replied. It was awkward.

“How are you doing?” Yamaguchi asked.

“I'm good, how are you?”

“Good as well. What have you been up to?”

“Nothing, really. I finished a really good book. You?” Kei asked. He tried to keep the topic off of himself for the most part. That's how flirting worked, right?

“Not much, actually. I watched a documentary about slugs,“ Yamaguchi said with a smile. “There's a kind that looks like a slug and lives in the ocean. “

“Sounds interesting. “

“It was! How was the book you read?”

“Oh! It was about-” Kei drawled on quite a bit, bit Yamaguchi was a good listener. He asked questions and smiled and nodded the way he was supposed to. He looked into his eyes, thinking that was a good thing for flirting. Yamaguchi scooted closer to him until their knees touched.

“That sounds interesting! I'll have to read it sometime,“ he said with a sweet smile. “Also, I like your bow tie. Forgot to mention that. “

Kei fiddled with it. “Thank you. Your sweater looks nice on you,”Kei said.

Yamaguchi looked down at his chest and blushed. “Thank you! I haven't worn it in quite a while so I thought it would be a good idea to revisit it. “ he pulled at the sleeves and gave himself sweater paws. He looked back up at Kei. Kei scooted closer to him.

“Nice weather we’re having. “ he knew it was a stereotype, but it had to be for a reason.

Yamaguchi laughed softly. “It is. Not too hot, not too cold. It's really-” his sentence was interrupted by a knock at the door. They both looked up as Yachi hurried to answer it. She opened the door and beamed up at whoever was outside. “Hello! Come in, make yourself comfortable!” She hurried back into the kitchen.

Hinata and Kageyama stood there, looking inside. They almost marched in, faces stoic. Hinata was pressed against Kageyama’s side. He didn't look as scared anymore, hopefully not answering people like a broken record any Kei's. he didn't stand like his insides were twisted and tied into knots and bows like ribbon on gift boxes. Kei was happy about this, seeing his coworker more relaxed than before. He seemed to be physically and emotionally okay. When he was not okay Kei was unhappy. Didn't let him focus on his work the way he normally could. That wasn't a problem. He wasn't reaching his full productive potential if he wasn't focused. Otherwise he would have done exactly that. But now that he was back to his full smiles and excited babbling Kei could finally work and read and exist easier.

Hinata squawked when he saw Yamaguchi sitting on the couch and he bounded over to him, throwing his arms around his shoulders and situating himself in his lap. “Tadashi!” He exclaimed brightly.

Kei looked over to Kageyama and he shrugged as the two men next to him chatted about slugs. “How are you, Tsukishima?” The raven asked him, distracting him from the shouting of the red head.

“I've been well, and you?” He asked.

“Same. “ Kageyama said dully. He shifted on his feet. They didn't speak more.

Kageyama stared into his eyes, blue eyes like a sea or blueberries in the summertime. Kageyama blinked but kept looking. Kei didn't understand. Kageyama held something in the dark blue, something that Kei couldn't grasp or understand. Maybe that meant it didn't really exist. Kei didn't want to think about it anymore, so he looked away and ignored the burn of Kageyama’s eyes staring at him. He was probably just worried for some reason. Did Kei look sick or something?

Kageyama was a nice guy, there wouldn't be a big problem. He helped him fit into the form, helped him get into society. Other than Yamaguch, he's the one who made the most effort to become friends with him in the beginning. He owes Kageyama a lot, even if doesn't understand what Kageyama holds and is desperately trying to hand to him.

Unfortunately, Kei's fingers don't reach that far and it falls onto Yachi’s floor, splattering and shattering and making a gooey mess for them to clean up. If he tried to reach, his finger tips would gouge the deep blue irises and his hand would come back covered in torn flesh and membrane and blood. Deep red would drip onto the hardwood and cover the previous deep blue and Kei would have no more issues for what Kageyama held and would only be met with empty sockets when he looked at his face. Just the two never ending pits that were crawling with maggots and bugs and holding no secrets or heavy weight that needs to be communicated.

Kei's torn away from reaching to scratch at the skin and muscle of Kageyama’s until it peels back flawlessly away from his skull by another knock at the door.

This time, the chattering fire-haired man gets out of Yamaguchi’s lap and hurried to answer the door. He flings it open and there stands his boss and his husband, who is apparently...Suga-San. His boss lives next door. That's great! They could carpool or something. Suga had his arm linked with Daichi’s and he was smiling sweetly at Hinata.

“Hi, Sho-chan,” he said, like he was talking to a child. “Are you helping Hitoka and Shimizu out?”

“Mhm!” The smaller man hummed happily, practically bouncing around as he hugged Suga before moving out of the way so they could come in. Daichi shut the door quietly.

“Isn't it so nice for them to invite us, dear?” Daichi asked the silver haired man.

“Of course! I'll have to thank them. “ he clapped his hands together. “Their house is so nice and clean!” Suga agreed thoughtfully. Yachi hurried out, rather like a hummingbird with how fast and flustered she seemed.

“Hi! You guys got here just in time, dinner is ready now!” She said almost too fast to understand. “Um, we’ll sit in the dining room!” She told the guest and rubbed at her wrist, making the skin turn pink. Suga beamed at her.

“Of course. We wouldn't want to get your living room dirty, “ he said and followed Yachi to her dining room, where Shimizu was setting up plates and setting the food down. Suga was gone, suddenly, and Kei assumed he was in the kitchen.

“Drinks are in the kitchen!” Shimizu told them in a sweet voice, nearing Sugawara’s level of sugar.

Everyone sat down after getting drinks, and Suga set a drink in front of Kei. It was pink and frothy, and it looked pretty good. Suga then sat next to him, along with Yamaguchi on the other side. Hinata and Kageyama sat together of course, while Daichi and Suga did, as well as Shimizu and Yachi.

They were silent for a while, no talking or noise except for the standard eating noises of chopstick sounds and cups being sat down. Kei took a sip of the pink liquid and found it to be quite good, actually. Whatever it was it tasted like fruit and made Kei happier than before, so it was great.

“So, how are you settling in, Tsukishima?” Suga asked in a warm voice. Kei swallowed his food and shrugged.

“Well, I don't know what all to say about it. “ he admitted.

Daichi's nodded and rested his chin on folded hands. “He's always a little tough at first to fit in and make friends, but once it happens, it's easy,”he said and grinned. Kei agreed, nodding.

“Making friends hasn't been so hard,” he said and smiled softly. He glanced at Yamaguchi, who was eating and making a small amount of mess. Cute.

The couple nodded and Suga smiled, filled with sugar, at him. “That's really good,“ he said softly. “I'm really glad you're having an easy time, we were-” he glanced to Daichi “worried that you'd have a hard time fitting in and being happy. But you're doing better than what I thought. What we thought. “

Kei felt pride stirring in his chest at the fact that he beat people’s expectations for him. That made him happy, happier than the drink did. He was doing a good job in this town, and that made a difference. He could have done nothing. He could have not come here, not talked to his coworkers, and not texted Yamaguchi. He could have stayed home and not done anything, yet he decided to work hard and thrive here. Kei was happy about it. Again, he glanced to Yamaguchi. He was talking to Yachi and sipping at pink liquid in his own glass.

“Well...there is another thing you could do…” Suga started. Kei looked back at him.

“What is it?” He asked. He wanted Suga to approve of him. He wanted to be considered good by him.

“As have weekly gatherings at one of our friend’s house. It's kinda formal, but not very. It's like going to church. We all hang out and eat dinner and have a good time. It's a good way to meet people and make friends. “ he told him and reached out, grabbing his necklace. “That's our symbol. “ he said and beamed at him.

“Okay,” Kei said passively. He looked over to Yamaguchi, briefly seeing Shimizu shaking her head at him. “Text me the details and I'll come to one. “ be told him. Daichi grinned, flashing his white teeth at him.

“Will do. “ he said in his gruff voice.

After that, everyone one by one left. First it was Kageyama and a Hinata, Hinata clinging to Kageyama and complaining about being sleepy. Sugawara and Daichi left next, just to be polite and not be last. Once it was only the two women and Yamaguchi and Kei, Kei cleared his throat. “I'll help take the dishes to the kitchen. “ he said.

Shimizu. looked at him. “You don't have to. “ she said.

“I will too!” Yamaguchi chirped and stood. The two gathered plates and cups and carried them to the kitchen. Yamaguchi washed them while Kei scraped excess food off of them and into the trash can.

Shimizu soon disappeared, and he wasn't sure where Yachi was.

Once the dishes were done, Yamaguchi grinned at him. “That went quick! We work well together. “

“We do. “ Kei smiled. He felt warm and light, standing here with Yamaguchi. Like he was on a cloud.

They paused, staring at each other as their cheeks slowly turned as pink as the juice in the cups. It was different from when they normally looked at each other. Not unpleasantly, but different. From when it was Kei and Yamaguchi and Kageyama and Yachi and Hinata, before Kageyama had something to shove upon him and Hinata was a human wind up toy, stiff and lifeless. Yamaguchi had no secrets to give him in his eyes, and he was safe. He was warm and he was pretty and Kei couldn't resist leaning forward and pressing their lips to each other.

Yamaguchi took in a sharp breath and exhaled, melting into Kei and closing his eyes. The kiss was sweet and tasted of pink and pink and pink, and when it was over Kei pulled Yamaguchi close and smiled at him. Yamaguchi stared at him for a second before smiling and diving in for another kiss.

It was different, again. This kiss was different. Deeper and better and with a better angle. Yamaguchi was good at it. It was longer too.

They pulled away gasping and blushing, a little bit antsy to leave.

“Come home with me?” Kei asked, shoving down any fear not taken by the frothy drink.

“Yes. “ Yamaguchi told him whole heartedly, blushing even more. He nodded, quickly to go along with it. He was excited, it was obvious.

Cute.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Kei woke up to a pounding headache and light pouring in through the window. He couldn't tell what time it was, probably late. There was movement from inside his house, probably Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi.

The entire night came rushing back and he smiled. That was...nice. A little fast, but at least he knew that Yamaguchi liked him back now.

Until he heard rather...not happy sounds from where Yamaguchi was. Kei shot up and went to find him. He walked down the hall and found him in the bathroom, door open, getting very very sick. His hands were shaking.

Kei paled. Um. Okay. He's sick. “Yamaguchi?” He asked, quiet. “Are you okay?” That was dumb. He wasn't. He was sick. “Can I do anything to help?”

Yamaguchi wiped his mouth with the back of his quivering hand. “Need medicine. “ he choked out, with trouble.

Kei blinked and grabbed the pill bottle with the strange symbol. “This one?”

“Yes!” Yamaguchi squeaked and flushed the toilet. “That'll fix it all!”

“Okay.” Kei got him some water and gave him the pills. He opened it for him because he didn't honk Yamaguchi could with his hands shaking so bad. “Okay. Um. Here you go. “

Yamaguchi downed them and relaxed. “Thanks. I didn't take them last night “ he said, blushing and embarrassed. Kei would be too.

“Do you need anything else?”

“Don't think so. “ he stood up. “Maybe water would be nice, but you brought some. “

Kei nodded. “I'll let you get cleaned up and stuff. If you need clothes they're in my dresser. “ he told him and turned around, went to the kitchen, and threw away the pills.

How good could they be if they made it worse when you didn't take them? They were supposed to make it better, weren't they?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed there should be another up soon if it's not there yet :)   
> hmu on volleyboikawa on instagram  
> eek this took a long time but hey you get two chapter s:$


	7. a sickly introduction pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei is sick again. Where's the doctor?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehe  
> (I don't remember if Kiyoko and Yachi were married or not, pretend they are)

Tsukishima Kei might be being dramatic, but he feels like fucking dying. He feels like crawling into bed and never returning, becoming a hermit and living out his days inside and never ever looking at bright light.

He didn't think he could get addicted to something in two weeks.

He thought wrong, apparently. If the withdrawal symptoms had anything to say about it.

Everything fucking hurt.

His head, his body, his back, his eyes, his stomach. He's shaking again, almost worse than before, and he has to use a straw to drink his coffee.

His nose has bled five times in two days. He's always sweaty and again, he is drinking his water through a straw from the table because he has shattered two cups. He's dehydrated, and he's in pain.

But if the pills were making him have a withdrawal, why would he want to take them in the first place? It's a good question to ask himself, he thinks. He's not sure why he'd take them if they just worsen the symptoms he took them for when he wasn't taking them.

Not to mention his mood. He was tempted to break every single object in his house if it meant that his mood would go back to normal. He's angry, all the fucking time, no matter what. He spilled water on his shirt yesterday, and he was livid. It was the most dumb thing ever. Kei had always prided himself on being aloof and distant with his own feelings, separating emotion from most situation, but now it was like all of the repressed anger was fucking him up the ass.

He's also got fucking work today, so that's great. He got dressed and combed his hair and tried to act like a normal functioning human being. Luckily, the symptoms were starting to die down as the medicine left his system, but it was still a pain in the ass.

Suddenly things were a lot more terrifying. Ten times more terrifying.

Kageyama tried to help him. He tried to help him in so many ways, tried to tell him bad things were happening and Kei was too drugged up to see if. He got drugged himself and ended up...fucking Yamaguchi. Not that he didn't want to, it just made him feel awful. He didn't fuck him of his own free will, he was drugged into doing it. Not that he didn't know what he was doing, it was fine, it just felt sickening that they were taken from the slow romance they already had into thrusting sex into their relationship before they'd even had a first date.

Yamaguchi...was hurt. Yamaguchi had marks up and down his back that were inflicted by someone who worked for the government in the town, someone who saw fit to punish him for something that shouldn't have called for lashes. Lashes that obviously broke the skin. Kei was sickened. He had to get out. He had to leave. But...part of him couldn't. He had to help the others. His new friends. He couldn't leave them here. What about Kageyama? What even was he on about? Why hadn't he taken the pills? What's going on with that?

He went to work, of course, but he had to act the way he had before. Drugged up and high. The idea itself was horrible. He didn't want to do that, but he supposed he didn't have much of a choice other than to make himself not look suspicious.

He was later than usual, cursing himself for already making his routine look different. Fortunately, the only people sitting in his office were…Yachi and Kageyama. Kei strode to his computer, ignoring them for the most part. He had to speak Kageyama, but not now. Not yet. He couldn't do that. He needed to wait until he wa sure what was going on. He turned on his computer and turned his chair around to face the blond woman.

“Thank you for inviting me to your house, Yachi. It was nice of you. “ he lied. He was drugged there. He didn't like it. His voice was more of a croak, and he cringed at the sound of cracks and hoarseness. Kageyama raised a brow at him.

Yachi cleared her throat. Kei’s heart stopped. The skin under her eyes was almost black, her skin was pale and her eyes were tinged red. Her fingers were typing as she typed on her computer. “No problem. Thank you for coming. “ her voice was shaky and she sniffled.

Kei frozen. “Are you sick, Yachi?” He asked. He needed something to lighten the mood. Now.he thought of a joke. “I’d think you'd never get sick, with your wife being a doctor and all. You know, your house is probably spotless. “

Yachi looked at him blankly. “I don't have a wife. “ she said slowly. “Are you yourself feeling okay, Tsukishima?” She asked, a worried tinge coloring her voice.

What the fuck?

Kageyama looked at Tsukishima, brows furrowed. Shut up. Shut up right now.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I don't know why I asked that. Don't know why I thought you were married. “ he chuckled weakly. “Um. Are you sick, though?”

“I'm a little under the weather, nothing for you to worry about, though. I assure you, I'm fine. “ she said and smiled.

Kei was scared. His heart beat fast and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He was not safe. He was nowhere near safe. He had to go.

Two voices were suddenly heard from down the hall, squawking and laughing as they entered. Yachi kept her smile on.

“Tadashi, Tsukishima thought I was married. “ she told the taller of the two men, laughing softly.

Tadashi smiled and chuckled. “Are you getting sick again, Tsukishima?” He teased. Hinata laughed behind him.

“Yachi is too nervous to get a wife, she can't talk to people she doesn't work with!” Hinata joked. Yachi squeaked.

“You jerk!” She protested. “I am capable of finding romance! Just you wait!”

The three laughed. Kageyama had wide eyes, brows trying to hide in his hair.

They met eyes.

Fuck.

What happened to Kiyoko-San?

Kei felt sweat wet the skin on his hands and he clenched his fists and laughed hollowly. “Sorry, again. I don't know what got into me. “ he said, trying not to seem odd and failing once again.

Yamaguchi smiled. “Sorry for teasing. “ he said once everyone had gone back to work. “I don't know where you got it from, but it wasn't your fault you got confused. “

Yachi smiled. “Yeah, I mean, the doctor here isn't a woman. It's Ennoshita-San. “

The man with the sleepy eyes popped into his head. The man at the front desk.

What? How could that be?

Kei met eyes with Kageyama once more, and his brow was furrowed again. Things were happening, and they weren't sure what the things were. It was terrifying, to say the least.

Kei worked for a few hours, and then he went to see Daichi.

Daichi was sitting in his office, working on his computer as usual. He looked up when he heard a knock on the door, surprised to see it was Kei.

“Come in. “ he called. Kei stepped into the small office, looking around. “Hello, Daichi-San. I had a question. “ this was a horrible idea.

Daichi interlaced his fingers together and leaned on them. “What is it?”

“Well, I was talking to Yachi, and I asked about her wife, the one we were at dinner with. She said she didn't know what I was talking about, and I was confused. “ Kei said, keeping his voice steady. “Did I make it all up, or did something happen?”

Daichi’s brow furrowed a bit. “Kiyoko-San…” he relaxed, face now being doused in misery. “It's awful. She...passed away. “ he said. “She's gone. That's probably why they're denying it, poor things. Their friend and wife is gone, they're probably repressing the feelings. Poor things. “ he shook his head and tutted. “I wouldn't bring it up again. “ he said.

Kei nodded. “Thank you, sir. “

“No problem. “

Kei left and hurried back to his desk, sitting down and blinking away tears. He didn't know her well, bit it was still horrible. The woman who tried to help him and he talked to was gone. That's why Yachi was so shaken up. But,..something still wasn't right. They acted like she never existed. Could it be that they didn't remember her?

He had to talk to Kageyama. They'd go to lunch together again or something. He'd know what to do. He'd been through this enough, probably.

 

* * *

 

 

Kageyama Tobio was beyond relieved. When Tsukishima Kei walked into the building, his eyes were clear and upset and his tone was layered in a way that the pills took from everyone. He sighed in relief, but that relief was short lived. When Yachi herself didn't remember her wife, his life crashed around him. What happened? What was happening? He didn't know what to do.

When Tsukishima asked him to lunch, Tobio was again, relieved. They'd talk in the car where no one could see or hear them and they'd find out what to do.

Tsukishima sat down in the drivers seat of his car and let out a long sigh.

“Kiyoko-San is dead. “ he said bluntly.

“Shit. “

“Mhm. “

“Oh. “

“Yamaguchi got tortured. “

“I told you that. Hinata did too. “

“Fuck. “

“Mhm. “

“What do we do?”

“No clue.”

Tsukishima sighed and rubbed his temples. “I don't even remember why I'm here. “ he said softly. “I don't remember almost anything from before this town. “

“The only reason I do is because I never took the goddamn pill. “ Tobio cursed. “We've gotta do something. “

“What? What can be done?”

“We can leave!”

“We can't leave without the others! The guilt will eat us alive!”

“We’ll have to find a way to convince them to go with us. “ Kageyama reasoned. “It won't be easy, but there has to be a way!”

“What if there isn't?” Tsukishima asked, looking straight at him.

“There will be. We just have to find it. “

Tsukishima looked at him and sighed. “Where are we gonna eat?”

“There's a cheap place five minutes away.”

“You're paying. “

“Fine. “ 

 

* * *

 

 

That night, Kei decided that there is only one thing left to do.

He sits on his couch with a mug of coffee (decaf, its nighttime) and opens his laptop. He opens documents, and looks for the right one.

He must read his archive. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :,)  
> anyway next chapter is soon! 
> 
> HMU at volleyboikawa and look out for my other fics that I'll post today


	8. archive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "My name is Tsukishima Kei. My brother went missing three months ago from our apartment in Tokyo. The police had never found any leads, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I found information in his bedroom about a town called Karasuno, and I decided to pursue it. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhh this is short. ch 9 is done tho, yay. Please answer the question in the end note!

**Day One.**  
_My name is Tsukishima Kei. My brother went missing three months ago from our apartment in Tokyo. The police had never found any leads, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I found information in his bedroom about a town called Karasuno, and I decided to pursue it. I quit my job, at the deal that if I come back without my brother, I will have to come back._

_I arrived late in the afternoon at the house I have rented for a month. I do not have a job, as I am here to look for Akiteru and do nothing more._

_Notable things are that all the houses look the same and that there is a large, gruesome painting of a symbol I don't recognize in my bedroom. I covered it with a quilt because it scared me._

_I went to drink coffee and watch cartoons later that evening, but soon discovered that my nose was bleeding and mixing into the beverage. I threw up in the bathroom and got more coffee._

_My neighbor, a man called Sugawara Koushi came to the door to greet me and give me a cake. He knew my name, though I have never talked to him._

_This ends my first archive._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gimme some advice! should I go ahead and post chapter nine, or should I keep going with my whole "wait until the next chapter is written" thing? It makes sure that I'll always have a chapter, even if I'm behind, but at the same time it can be frustrating. Should I give it up for the last three chapters, since there are only two serious, lengthy ones?
> 
> anyway as always, kudos and comments motivate me! 
> 
> hmu at volleyboikawa on Instagram!

**Author's Note:**

> keep in mind for this fic, if there's any timeline issues or things that weren't mentioned in previous chapters, it's supposed to happen 
> 
> Next time: Kei has a strange nightmare and meets an odd group. 
> 
> HMU at @gayyachi on Instagram!


End file.
